5 stretches that ease heel pain fast
Five minutes, no equipment beyond a towel and a water bottle. Do these before your first steps in the morning and again after a long day or a walk. Wear your Restride sleeves through the day and these stretches do the rest.
1. Towel stretch (before you get out of bed)
Sit up in bed with your legs straight. Loop a towel around the ball of your foot and gently pull your toes toward you. Hold 30 seconds, three times per foot. This warms up the fascia so your first step doesn't shock it.
2. Wall calf stretch
Stand facing a wall, hands on the wall. Step one foot back, keep that heel flat and the knee straight, and lean in until you feel the stretch in your calf. Hold 30 seconds, three times per side. Tight calves pull on the heel, so this one matters.
3. Bent-knee calf stretch
Same position, but bend the back knee slightly. You'll feel it lower, near the Achilles. Hold 30 seconds, three times per side.
4. Frozen bottle roll
Freeze a water bottle. Sitting down, roll your arch over it from heel to toes for two minutes per foot. Cold plus massage calms the inflammation fast. A tennis or massage ball works too.
5. Towel scrunches
Put a towel flat on the floor and scrunch it toward you with your toes, then push it back out. Ten times per foot. This builds the small muscles that hold up your arch.
Make it stick
Consistency beats intensity. Every Restride order comes with a 30-day relief routine by email, one short video a day, so you never have to remember what's next.